Refuse spear



Sept. 16, 1958 A. TUNSTALL, SR 2,852,293

REFUSE SPEAR Filed Aug. 10, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l l l 80 s I I I 0 l /5 w. 48 I g INVENTOR. F== ADOLPH TuNs-i-ALL ,Se.

Sept. 6, 1958 A. TUNSTALL, SR 2,852,298

REFUSE SPEAR Filed Aug. 10, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORQ 56 56 ADOLPH T'UNST'AL L. 2. 48 Y j %?%M/ )6W7m WWW ATTQRNEYS Unite States atent O REFUSE SPEAR Adolph Tunstall, Sr., Byhalia, Miss.

Application August 10, 1956, Serial No. 603,307 4 Claims. Cl. 294-61) This invention relates to an improved spear for picking up scrap papers and other refuse, and involving means for stripping picked-up material therefrom.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a safer, more practical and efiicient device of thiskind which has amanually extensible and retractible spearing rod which can be locked in extended position for picking up refuse, and locked in retracted position when notin use, in a manner to preclude accidental and injurious contact with the point of the rod.

These together withother objects and advantages which will become apparent reside in the details of construction, and operation, as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, and in which: 7 r s 1 Figure 1 is a perspective view of a refuse spear of the invention;

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a contracted vertical transverse sectional view taken substantially on line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially on line 44 of Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken substantially on line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the illustrated refuse spear, indicated generally at 10, comprises a vertically elongated bar 12 of preferably rectangular cross section, and constructed of any suitable material, such as plastic, wood, or lightweight metal, having a front side 18 in which is provided a groove 20 which extends for substantially the full length of the bar 12. Secured to and extending laterally outwardly from a side edge 22 of the bar 12 normal to the groove 20 is a fixed handle, which preferably comprises a U-shaped member 26 having a hand grip sleeve circumposed on its upper leg 27.

Formed in the front side 18 and in the side edge 22 of the body 12 near its upper end 13 of the bar are vertically spaced relatively wide lower and upper handle notches 30 and 32 respectively, which open at their laterally inward ends into the groove 20 above the fixed handle 24. The upper end of the upper notch 32 is open.

A forwardly projecting arcuate guide and stop 36 is positioned across the front side 18 and the groove 20 in the bar 12 at its upper end 13, and has depending legs 34 which extend along opposite side edges of the bar 12 and terminates at their lower ends in a cross member 35 which extends through the bar 12. The arcuate guide and stop 36 is positioned at the open upper end of the upper handle notch 32.

In the front side 18 and the side edge 22 of the bar are relatively narrow upper and lower notches 38 and 40, the notch 38 being positioned between the arms of the fixed handle 24, and the notch 40 being spaced below the fixed handle 24.

The spear further comprises an elongated straight refuse spearing rod 46 having a pointed lower end 48,

7 2,852,298 Patented Sept, 1958 ice 2 and having on its upper end a lateral arm 50 on which is circumposed a suitably secured sleeve handle 52. The rod 46 works within the groove 20, and the movable handle 52 is adapted to be optionallypositioned in either the lower notch 30 or the upper notch 32, as shown in full and in phantom lines in Figure 1. When the handle 52 is engaged in the lower notch 30, the pointed lower end 48 of the rod 46 extends below thevlower end 16 of the bar 12. When the handle 52 is rotated out of the notch 30, the rod can be elevated, by means of the handle 52, until thehandle 52 engages the arcuate guide 36, and then rotated to putthe handle 52 in the upper notch 32, so as to maintain the rod 46 in an upwardly retracted position. 1 Such elevation of the rod 46 serves to strip from the lower end of the rod 46 debris which has been speared thereon. In the retracted position of the rod 46 its pointed lower end 48 is above the lower end 15 of the bar 12 and withinthe groove 20, whereby accidental and injurious contact with the point 48 is precluded. f I T The rod- 46 has extending laterally from an inter mediaterportion thereof an abutment pin 54 which is selectively engageable in either of the narrow notches 38 and 40. Secured to and extending across the front side 18.0f. the bar 12 and bridging the groove 20 are forwardly projecting stopsandretainers 42 and 44, which are located above and belowthe notches 38 and 40, respectively, and with ,Whichthe pin 54 is engageable on being rotated and elevated and depressed, respectively, as-above described. The retainers 42 and 44 serve to retain the rod 46 in the groove 20. as well as stops which limit longitudinal movements of the rodi46 relative to the bar12. v

A guard plate 55 extends along the front side 18 of the lower part of the bar 12 and across the groove 20 and includes on its lower end a cap portion 56 receiving the lower end 15 of the bar 12. The cap portion 56 has an opening 58 passing the rod 46. The guard plate 55 is secured to the bar 12 by means of screws 60.

Secured on an intermediate part of the bar 12 and extending between the stops 42 and 44 in a cover 62 which includes an intermediate arcuate longitudinally extending portion 64 having a radius slightly greater than the length of the abutment pin 54 on the rod 46, so that the pin 54 can be rotated and reciprocated in the cover 62. The cover 62 has a side flange 66 having therein notches 68 and 70, see Figure 2, accommodating the arms of the fixed handle 24.

As shown in Figures 1 and 4, the movable handle 52 overlies and is coextensive with the fixed handle 24 in the extended operative position of the spear rod 46, wherein its point 48 projects beyond the lower end of the bar 12, so that a hand can grasp both handles at the same time and apply the spear 10 to the work. Such grasping of both handles serves to hold the movable handle in the lower handle notch 30 and thereby maintain the spear rod 46 in its operative position, while the accompanying engagement of the pin 54 in the lower de tent notch 40 secures the spear rod 48 against accidental retraction. The provision for rotating and retracting the spear rod 46, by means of the movable handle 52, after removal of the handle 52 from the lower handle notch 38, enables more effectively stripping speared material from the lower end 48 of the rod, against the underside of the guard plate cap portion 56.

The foregoing is considered illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to as fall within the scope of the appended claims. a

What is claimed as new is as follows: 1. A refuse spear comprising an elongated bar having upper and lower ends, a front-side and a side edge, said front side having therein" a longitudinallyelongated groove extending to the lower end of said bar, vertically spaced upper and lower retainers on an intermediate part of said bar and extending across said front side and across said groove, upper and lower detent notches in said bar at one side of and opening into said groove at points immediately below and'immediately above said upper and lower detent notches, an elongated spear rod slidably and rotatably engaged in said groove and retained therein by said retainers, said rod having a pointed lower end and an upper end, a lateral abutment pin on said rod between said retainers, a-lateral handle arm on the upper end of the rod for rotating said abutment pininto and out of the detent notches and for moving the rod endwise relative to the bar from an extended operative position in which the lower end of the rod extends beyond the lower end of the bar to a retracted position in which the lower end of the rod is above the lower end of the bar, said abutment pin being engageable in the upper detent notch to hold the rod in retracted position and engageable in the lower detent notch to retain the rod in extended position, the abutment pin being engageable with related ones of said retainers while being rotated into and out of detent notches, and a fixed handle on and projecting from said bar at a point above said upper detent notch and in a plane coinciding with the rod handle arm while the abutment pin is in a detent notch, with the rod handle arm above the fixed handle, the rod handle arm being engaged with and extending along the fixed handle in the extended operative position of the spear rod, the fixed handle and the handle arm then together serving as handle means for manipulating the spear.

2. A refuse spear according to claim 1, wherein said front side and said side edge has therein a lower handle notch and an upper handle notch, said lower handle notch being located immediately above the fixed handle to receive said handle arm in the extended position of the spear rod, said upper handle notch being located near the upper end of the bar to receive said rod handle arm in the retracted position of the spear rod.

3. A refuse spear according to claim 1, wherein said front side and said side edge having therein a lower handle notch and an upper handle notch, said lower handle notch being located immediately above the fixed handle to receive said'handle arm in the extended position of the spear rod, said upper handle notch being located near the upper end of the bar to receive said rod handle arm in the retracted position of the spear rod, and an arcuate guide and stop mounted on the bar and positioned at the upper end of the upper handle References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES-PATENTS 909,129 Ricks Jan. 5, 1909 1,003,103 Harding Sept. 12, 1911 1,225,188 Smith May 8, 1917 2,194,016 Geller Mar. 19, 1940 

